Tech-enabled cultural compass
Embark on a journey of cultural exploration and discovery in the Philippines—a future where technology serves as your trusted guide, unlocking the treasures of our diverse heritage and empowering communities across the archipelago. Here's a glimpse into this tantalizing vision of the future:
Imagine AI as your personal language tutor, effortlessly teaching you the intricacies of local dialects like Bikol, ensuring that cultural knowledge reaches every corner of our nation. No longer limited by geographical boundaries, Filipinos from all regions can connect with their roots and preserve the richness of our linguistic heritage.
But the wonders of AI extend far beyond language alone. With the tap of a screen, you delve into a virtual encyclopedia of Philippine art and culture, where a wealth of knowledge awaits at your fingertips. Whether you seek inspiration for your next masterpiece or simply crave a deeper understanding of our vibrant heritage, AI provides tailored insights—from the captivating world of Filipino animations to the intricate beauty of traditional textiles.
And as our cultural landscape evolves, so too do our institutions. Community-led museums and cultural institutes spring to life, embracing the virtual realm to preserve and decolonize Filipino culture for generations to come. From immersive exhibitions that celebrate our indigenous traditions to digital archives that document our shared history, these cultural sanctuaries serve as beacons of pride and identity for all Filipinos.
In this idealistic future, technology empowers Filipinos to celebrate, preserve, and share the cultural riches of the Philippines with the world.
Jake is a young Filipino-American learning Bisaya with the help of iKwento, a language learning AI app made specially for Filipino dialects. His long-term goall is to surprise his mother, a native Cebuana, with a spoken message for her upcoming birthday.
In community-led virtual museums, any Filipino can contribute to an exhibit.
Selected Quotes
...[M]y brother and my cousins who can't really speak Bicol...they use ChatGPT to learn Bicol. And I think it's like, it was really interesting in that way, where it has really specific knowledge that people in the diaspora just won't have. Like, it's a really interesting moment of cultural conservation also...
The Internet in general is a place of remembrance, like technology [in general] is a tool for remembrance. The ways that culture is already encoded into these large systems is also how we will remember ourselves and conceptualize ourselves in the future.
...[A]ll my art is about being Filipino and my identity, hopefully not in like a corny Filipino-American way. But I always think about like...the tension of being queer, and my relationship with the Catholic church, [etcetera.]...all these things that we feel really unique to me. And I [asked] ChatGPT like: "Oh I'm Filipino, I want to make a projection or installation about my relationship with queerness and the Catholic Church. What are some ideas I can do?". And like, it had really specific suggestions about Filipino animation styles that I never heard of, [and] Filipino textiles I've never heard of. And even though I was like: "Why is ChatGPT more Filipino than me?...Like why do I feel so threatened by this?"...it has all these objective facts and knowledge, and is preserving them in a way...like it just has access to so much information that we will...aside from all the harms I've discussed, I thought it was kind of amazing honestly, as like a way to access these cultural tidbits that I just wasn't introduced to because of how I grew up, or wasn't introduced to because of how people talk about the Philippines. Like all this AI stuff can also be a window into cultural components that we no longer have access to. I think that's an interesting part. I mean, obviously, because I don't even know the truth of what it's telling me, I'm not sure like how accurate it is...but in terms of Filipino knowledge, I thought that was really interesting...
...[A]lam mo yung Tropical Futures? Ok sila, may attempt to decolonize the tech culture sa Philippines. Nakakatawa na may post sila na nilagyan ng tubig tapos itsura niya, siya yung CPU tapos nakaconnect sa monitor. Tas yung mga post nila na nasa computer shop, basta ang ganda nung attempt to actually contextualize yung kalye, kung ano yung itsura. Ang term ko doon ay island technology. Maganda rin yung ginagawa ni Nice Buenaventura: meron siyang project na color as a concept tapos cinoconfluence niya yung itsura ng aesthetic or kulay ng mga Pinoy sa kalye tapos pinopost niya. Yan, may general attempt to decolonize yung mga images na yun. Pero then again, doon ulit iyon sa mga nakapagaral, sa may access sa pagaaral.
...[T]here's such a thing as a diffusion of innovation...Anytime you have something new, the early adopters and the innovators, they're all in the same mindset. That...accounts for maybe up to 10% penetration of any market. But to get to majority, usually the motivations of the majority are very different from the early adopters. So you need to change your messaging, you need to change like the way you deliver it...and then they'll flip. And not everyone succeeds. Because by definition, the early majority will be worried about other things that the innovators may think is very mundane...[especially when it comes to] AI. That's why I think...I don't know, some of the early ideas that they plan on doing is do AI in Filipino. Why does it have to be so elite talking about it in English? Why don't we do Artificial Intelligence in Tagalog? Or later in Ilongo? Or Cebuano?...But that's what's missing, everyone else is happily chatting AI in BGC but not in Mimaropa, not in Iloilo, not in Cotabato...things like that
